A Diva No Longer
by Tina101
Summary: Maureen and Joanne aren't together anymore, in fact, they're dating other people. Only Maureen's new bf isn't who it looks like at all. Eventual MoJo, I promise!
1. Chapter 1

_A Diva No Longer_

**Chapter 1:**

Maureen sat curled up on the couch channel surfing. She was taking a well deserved break after unpacking her stuff. Not that she had a lot of stuff; most of it was being stored at the loft. Maureen sighed. Where was Dan? Dan's her boyfriend. They had just decided to move in together. Maureen and Joanne had finally called it quits. Now, Joanne was dating a girl name Cat. She and Maureen were still friends, they just weren't dating anymore.

Sighing, Maureen looked at her watch. She had to go meet everyone at the Life. She got up and grabbed her jacket. Just as she was about to open the front door, it opened, and in walked Dan.

"Hey Pookie," chirped Maureen. "I'm about to go down to the Life for dinner, you want to come?" Dan shook his head.

"You're always going out with your friends. Why don't you stay here with me?" Dan grabbed Maureen's arm firmly.

"What the hell is your problem!? You're hurting me! I haven't been out with my friends in two weeks. If you don't want to come, fine, but I'm going." Maureen broke free of Dan's grip and left. The whole way to the Life, she tried to figure out why Dan was acting so weird.

By the time Maureen got to the Life, all the Bohemians were gathered at their usual tables in the back. Maureen put on a smile and sat down between Mark and Mimi.

"Hey honey," Angel said from across the table where she was sitting on Collins' lap. "Where's your boyfriend?" Maureen subconsciously rubbed her arm where Dan had grabbed her.

"At home. He didn't feel like coming," she replied. Maureen ordered a beer and some fries. She looked over at Joanne and smiled.

"When do we get to meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours?" Joanne asked. Maureen shrugged.

"No clue, he's buys a lot with work. He's a cop."

"I think this whole boyfriend thing is a story," Roger said. Maureen flicked the rocker off.

_He's really alright_, she thought. _Just look at the bruise on my arm._

Maureen figured she must have spaced out, because the next thing she knew, Mimi was waving a hand in front of her face, saying, "Earth to Maureen, you with us?" The diva nodded.

"Yeah, I sorta spaced out for a second," she replied. She took a sip of her beer and flashed everyone her award winning smile. She needed everyone to think that she was fine, even if she was starting to think that she wasn't.

The second Maureen got home; she crawled into bed next to Dan. Right away, Dan wrapped his arm around her and kissed her neck.

"No now baby," Maureen muttered, but Dan wouldn't stop. "Dan! I'm _really _tired, stop!" Dan flipped Maureen over and began to kiss her roughly. Maureen tried to stop him, but he wouldn't let her go. Dan began to pull at Maureen's clothes. No matter what, she knew she had to keep those clothes on; it was the only way she could control the situation. Somehow, Dan managed to get Maureen's shirt over her head. Maureen continued to fight back, but Dan seemed to only enjoy that. This wasn't the Dan Keyes she had fallen for, and it scared her…a lot.

Meanwhile, Joanne was getting changed back at her and Cat's place and talking to her girlfriend.

"Why won't you give Maureen a chance?" the lawyer asked.

"I don't like you two being friends is all. I mean your ex's!" Cat replied.

"So, you're still friends with some of your ex-girlfriends, and I'm perfectly fine with that," Joanne reasoned as she pulled on an oversized t-shirt.

"That's different. You guys were on again off again for ages. How do I know that you won't go back to her?" Joanne crawled into bed and kissed Cat tenderly.

"Because I'm right here with you." Joanne slid under the covers and turned off the light. "Night sweetie."

"Night. I love you." Joanne didn't reply; she never did. Did she still have feelings for Maureen and that was why she could never tell Cat that she loved her? Joanne reasoned that she wanted to take things slow. Her mind agreed with that, but her heart didn't.

The next morning, Maureen woke up _very_ sore. As she got dressed, she noticed several new bruises on her arms and torso. She figured that Dan must have been drunk last night. Yes, he _had_ to have been drunk at the time. Maureen pulled on her shirt and went out to get something to eat.

Dan was sitting on the couch watching the news when Maureen entered the room. He looked up and smiled like nothing had happened the night before.

"Morning honey," he said. Maureen didn't reply. "Hey, come here. What's wrong with you!?"

"What the hell was up with you last night!?" demanded Maureen.

"I wanted to have some fun; didn't you?" Maureen scoffed.

"That _hurt_. Do you want to see the bruises?" Dan got up and wrapped his arms around Maureen. He kissed her forehead softly.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I had a little too much to drink last night. It won't happen again." Maureen rested her head on Dan's chest, but still felt uncomfortable around him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Maureen came out of the bedroom with her denim jacket on and her purse slung over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" asked Dan.

"I was going to go shopping with Mimi and Angel. Is that okay with you?" Dan stood up.

"No, it isn't." Maureen stopped and turned around.

"Excuse me?"  
"You asked if it was okay, and I said no it isn't. I want you to stay here with me."  
"Well, I already told them that I'd go. I didn't know that I had to get your fucking permission!" Dan grabbed Maureen's arm and twisted it behind her back.

"_Don't _talk to me like that," he growled. Maureen broke free of his grip and shoved him.

"_Don't_ treat me like a piece of shit!" Dan backhanded Maureen, causing the diva to stumble backwards.

"You _are_ a piece of shit right now! You made plans without me know and without thinking that maybe I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend." Maureen's face fell. Maybe she should have talked to Dan before making plans.

"I'm sorry." Maureen rubbed her cheek. It hurt, but she felt no anger towards Dan. She deserved it…or so she thought.

A few weeks later, Mimi called Joanne. The dancer was getting worried about Maureen's weird behavior. The Bohemians hadn't seen Maureen in three or four weeks. The last time anyone had seen her, she had a black eye. Maureen insisted that she had walked into a door, but _nobody _believed her. Joanne picked up the phone after several rings.

"Hello?"

"Jo, its Mimi."

"Oh hey Meems, what's up?" Mimi paused.

"I'm calling about Maureen." Mimi heard Joanne sigh. "I'm really worried about her, Jo. She's been acting really weird lately."

"I know, I'm worried about her too, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"I think Dan's hitting her though! There _must_ be something you can do about it," Mimi cried.

"My hands are tied. Unless Mo tells us that Dan's hitting her, there's nothing any of us can do to help her."  
"Let the drama queen handle her own issues!" Cat called in the background. Mimi rolled her eyes. Cat obviously didn't realize that the Bohemians were a family. One person's problem is _everyone's_ problem; that's what a family is.

"We'll keep an eye on Maureen and talk to her if she keeps acting like this."

"Okay, thanks Jo."

"Anytime Mimi. Bye."

"Bye." Mimi hung up the phone and closed her eyes. No matter what Joanne said, she was worried about Maureen.

Joanne hung up the phone and turned to face Cat. Cat was just sitting there flipping through a magazine.

"What is your problem?" Joanne demanded. Cat looked up. "Something is seriously wrong with Maureen, and you keep insulting her!"

"You don't know that something's wrong with Maureen. For all you know, she really did walk into a door; she was probably drunk. You worry too much." Joanne grabbed her jacket and briefcase.

"I'll be down at the office working. I'll be back later." Without another word, Joanne left. She couldn't believe how selfish Cat was! She was worse than Maureen! Maureen cared when something was wrong with one of their friends. Cat, Cat could care less about anyone but herself.

As Joanne left, Cat rolled her eyes. Joanne worried too much. Maureen was a big girl. If something were wrong with her, she'd tell someone. Cat knew the real reason as to why Joanne was so worried about Maureen. Joanne still loved Maureen. Cat knew that that was why the lawyer never said, 'I love you.' She didn't love her, and everyone knew that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Get up!" Dan hissed as he kicked Maureen in the stomach. The diva groaned. Before she could get up, Dan grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. Maureen let out a cry of pain. "Shut up, and make me breakfast." Maureen caught her footing and trudged into the kitchen. She was sore from sleeping on the floor. Dan told her that she took up too much space in bed, so she had to sleep on a thin mat in the closet. Maureen looked at the food out on the counter and began to prepare Dan's breakfast.

"Today's my friend's birthday," she told Dan quietly. "I was wondering if I could go the Life to celebrate with everyone else."

"No," Dan said without even stopping to think. "The Life was all that unhealthy food. You're still too fat." Maureen glanced at the cabinet above her head. All the cabinets were locked to keep her our. Dan would feed her when he got to it. "And I don't think your friends are a good influence on you. I want you to stay away from them." Maureen bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"Yes sir," she said. Dan ran her life, but she had nowhere to go if she left him. Maureen finished making breakfast and served it to Dan.

Later that afternoon, there was a knock on the front door. Dan was in his home office, so Maureen answered the door. She opened the door a crack to find Mimi standing there.

"Meems?"

"Hey Mo, I came to walk with you to Angel's party."

"I can't go, I'm sorry. Tell Angel that I'm really sorry." Maureen heard Dan get up in the other room and gasped. "You have to go. Leave, please." Mimi reached into the apartment and squeezed Maureen's hand. The dancer noticed how battered her friend's hand was. "Go!" Mimi sighed and followed Maureen's wishes.

Maureen closed and locked the door just as Dan entered the room. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Who was at the door?" Dan asked. Maureen knew that she couldn't lie to him. If she did, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

"Mimi, but I told her to leave." Dan flashed Maureen a smile that sent shivers down her spine. He gently stroked her cheek.

"Good girl," he said huskily. Maureen didn't fight back when Dan began to pull off her clothes. She knew better than to fight back. After Dan was done, he pulled on his clothes and left Maureen shaking and naked on the floor. "I'm going out to get a drink. I'll be back later." As soon as Dan left, Maureen pulled a thin blanket around her shoulders and fell asleep.

A sharp pain tore through Maureen's scalp. Dan literally picked her up by her hair and threw her against the wall. Maureen crumpled to the ground and into a fetal position. Dan stank of alcohol and cigarette smoke. He began to kick Maureen in the stomach. He grabbed her shoved her against the wall. After he punched her several times, Dan threw Maureen to the ground and left the room. Maureen's head hit the ground with a dull _thud_. She could feel blood trickling out of a fresh cut on her forehead. Maureen closed her eyes and lay down on the floor for nearly an hour. When she was sure that Dan was asleep, she got up, crept into the bedroom, got dressed and packed her bag with the few possessions that weren't at the loft. She was leaving before things could get any worse.

Without looking back, Maureen left. She stumbled down the street. She felt lightheaded and couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. All Maureen focused on was putting one foot in front of the other. After what seemed like an eternity, she made it to Mark, Roger and Mimi's building. Now, she only had to make it up to the loft.

Meanwhile, Mark, Mimi, Roger, Angel and Collins were all gathered at the loft. They were just sitting around talking after celebrating Angel's birthday at the Life. The Bohemians were talking about random things; anything to keep their minds off Maureen's strange behavior. Mark planned on calling the diva the next day to check up on her. A small knock at the door caught everyone's attention. Nobody could figure out who it would be at this hour. Since Mark was the closest to the door, he got up to answer it. When he opened the door, he was greeted with Maureen collapsing in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Mark stumbled under the sudden addition of weight from Maureen's limp body. He tried to pick Maureen up, but he couldn't.

"Collins, Roger you should get over here!" Mark called over his shoulder.

"Who was at the…Mo?" asked Roger. Collins gently picked Maureen up. Her head flopped backwards, and her hair slid away from her face revealing a completely black and blue face. Mimi and Angel both gasped when they saw Maureen. Collins laid the diva out on the couch.

"Roger, get the first aid kit from under the sink," Mimi ordered as she sat on the edge of the couch. Roger nodded and got the kit for the dancer. Mimi got out the peroxide and began to clean the cut on Maureen's forehead. Maureen began to whimper and grab at Mimi's hand. "Shh, calm down. Calm down Maureen." Maureen's eyes flew open. She began to scream and push Mimi away.

"Calm down Mo," Collins said as he stroked Maureen's cheek. Maureen immediately shrank away.

"Don't touch me," she pleaded.

"Here, let's go get you cleaned up in my room," Mimi said as she helped Maureen to her feet. The diva followed Mimi to her room without looking at anyone.

Maureen sat on the end of the bed and stared at the ground. Mimi sat down next to her. When she tried to touch Maureen's face so she could get a better look at the cut, Maureen flinched.

"I'm just trying to clean this cut so it doesn't get infected," Mimi explained. Maureen reluctantly obliged. As Mimi was finishing up, there was a knock on the bedroom door, causing Maureen to jump. "It's okay. It's probably just Roger asking how you are." Mimi got up and slipped out of the room.

"How is she?" Roger asked quietly.

"I don't know. I'm still cleaning up the cut on her forehead. She's really jumpy though." Roger ran his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, on the dresser is a disposable camera. I want you to take pictures in case we go to the police." Mimi nodded. Roger kissed her forehead and went back to everyone else.

When Mimi went into her room, Maureen was curled up on the bed with her back to the door. Mimi got the camera off the dresser.

"Maureen, sweetie, Roger wants me to take pictures incase we go the police about this." Maureen rolled over.

"Please don't go to the police, it was my fault anyway." Mimi sat on the edge of the bed.

"Nobody deserves to be beat like this. We won't go to the police right now, but let me take these pictures." Maureen sat up. She tried to pull off her thin sweatshirt, but found that it hurt too much. "Here, come here sweetie." Mimi carefully removed the sweatshirt and found that Maureen wasn't wearing anything under it. She had seen Maureen bare all, everyone had…unfortunately. Mimi was shocked by this, she was shocked by what else she saw. There were bruises all over Maureen's breasts, torso and arms. Mimi could also easily count each and every one of Maureen's ribs. "Oh Mo," she breathed. Maureen wrapped her arms around herself. "No, don't do that. Hold your arms out." Mimi took pictures of Maureen's arm, torso, face and back. The whole time, Maureen said nothing.

When Mimi was done, she got up and said, "Come here Mo, I want to see something." As Maureen got up, Mimi dug a scale out of the closet. "Step on, I want to see how much you weigh." Maureen stepped away form Mimi and shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm so fat. I still need to loose more weight," she said softly.

"Please, for me? I want to see how much you weigh." Squeezing her eyes shut, Maureen stepped up on the scale; eighty-five pounds. "Oh Maureen, there's no way that that's healthy." Maureen's fragile body wracked with sobs.

"I'm so fat!" she cried. Mimi wrapped her arms around her friend and stroked her hair.

"No you're not. You're not fat. Calm down. Shh, shh, calm down. Why don't you get in bed, and I'll get you something to help you calm down a little?" Maureen clung to Mimi.

"You're not going to leave me are you?" Mimi tucked Maureen into bed.

"I'll be right back, I promise." Mimi grabbed the camera and left the room; closing the door behind her.

Angel and Collins were still at the loft. Mimi went over and handed Roger the camera to get it developed.

"Where are those sugar pills you used to give me?" she asked. "I need them for Maureen."

"I'll get them," Mark said as he stood up. Mimi sat where he had just been sitting.

"How is she?" asked Angel. Mimi sighed.

"She's just skin and bones, if that. I weighed her. She weighs eighty-five pounds and keeps insisting that she's fat and needs to loose more weight."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking," Collins started. "But how much do you weight? To put it in perspective for me." Mimi chewed on her bottom lip. She actually didn't mind telling Collins her weight.

"About a hundred and five pounds and I'm a little underweight. Maureen's _extremely _underweight." Mark came back and handed Mimi a bottle of sugar pills. By giving Maureen a sugar pill instead of a real sedative, her mind would think that there's a sedative in her system, but the pill won't harm her. "Thanks Mark. Roger is it okay if you sleep on the couch? Maureen won't let me leave her side for more than a few seconds." Roger nodded. He didn't mind at all.

"Yeah, that's fine." Mimi gave the rocker a goodnight kiss and went back to Maureen.

Mimi gave Maureen two sugar pills, and the diva curled up between her friend and the wall. It didn't take long before her breathing evened out. Maureen whimpered but remained asleep. Mimi stroked her hair to calm her down.

"What's happened to you honey?" she asked quietly. "Where's our old vivacious Maureen?" Mimi slid between the covers and fell into a light sleep.

A bloodcurdling scream shattered Mimi's sleep. She sat up and found Maureen leaning against the wall sobbing. Mimi wrapped her arms around the diva's weak form.

"He's coming to get me," Maureen repeated over and over again. Mimi knew who Maureen was talking about…Dan. The bedroom door opened, revealing Mark and Roger. Maureen pushed Mimi away and huddled in the corner.

"Maureen," Mark said as he went over and put a hand on Maureen's shoulder. She was still in only sweatpants. "You're safe here; we're going to keep you safe." Maureen shook even harder under Mark's touch.

"He's going to get me," she sobbed.

"Why don't we call the police so they can keep you even safer?" Maureen shook her head. She shrank away from Mark and eventually cried herself to sleep. Mimi tucked Maureen in, said goodnight to Mark and Roger and went back to sleep herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

When Maureen woke up the next morning, Mimi was already up. The diva got up, pulled on her sweatshirt and went out to the front room. Mimi and Roger were sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Morning Maureen," Mimi said. Maureen just stood there with her arms wrapped around herself.

"May I have something to eat?" she asked quietly.

"Of course." Mimi stood up. "What would you like?"

"I can get it on my own. I just wanted to make sure that it was okay." Mimi glanced at Roger.

"You don't have to ask permission to get something to eat. We have cereal, coffee, bread, sandwich stuff." Maureen nodded. She got a single piece of bread and popped it in the toaster.

"You sure you don't want more to eat?" asked Roger. Maureen nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not that hungry." Mimi sighed.

"Please eat more than a piece of toast," she begged. "You've lost so much weight. Have a bowl of cereal or something."

"Okay," Maureen said because she knew that she had to listen when people told her to do something. She sat down at the table. Mimi got up to get Maureen a bowl of cereal. She slid a bowl of Frosted Flakes and a plate of toast in front of Maureen. Wordlessly, the diva ate her food. The food felt so heavy in her stomach. Maureen only ate the food because Mimi told her to.

When Maureen was done eating, she excused herself to the bathroom. She clung to the toilet and emptied her stomach. She needed to stay skinny, she needed to loose more weight. Maureen pulled herself to her feet and dug around the medicine cabinet for a razor. She found one and held it above her bruised flesh. One cut for taking up space in the bed. Two cuts for taking Roger's place and making him sleep on the couch. Another for eating for than she needed. Maureen knew how deep to cut. Deep enough to draw blood but not deep enough to end up like April. After she was done, Maureen leaned against the sink and waited for the bleeding to stop. She felt slightly lightheaded, but ignored it and turned on the shower.

Mimi and Roger heard Maureen throwing up in the bathroom. Mimi sighed and slid off of Roger's lap.

"Maybe I should go check on her," she said as she cleaned off the table. "I'm really worried about her." Roger got up to help.

"Give Mo her space. She's been through hell." Mimi nodded and began to wash the dishes. Once Mark got back form the store, the two of them were going to go to Life Support with Angel and Collins. Roger had offered to stay with Maureen to see if she wanted to talk.

After Maureen got out of the shower, she realized that her lower abdomen hurt. It wasn't like an ache from cramps, it was a sharp throbbing pain. Maureen pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and went out to the front room. Mark, Roger and Mimi were all sitting around relaxing.

"Do you have a hot pack or something?" Maureen asked.

"Yeah," Mimi replied as she got up off the couch. She pulled a hot pack out of a drawer and popped it into the microwave. "How are you doing sweetie?" Maureen tugged at the ratty sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"I don't feel well." Mimi reached out to feel Maureen's forehead, but the diva turned away. The microwave dinged, and Mimi pulled out the hot pack

"Come on, you can lie down and watch TV in my room." Maureen followed Mimi to her room silently.

Maureen lie down on the bed and put the hot pack on her abdomen. Mimi flipped on the TV and handed the diva the remote. Then, she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mark and I are going to Life Support. Roger will be here with you." When Mimi stood up, Maureen grabbed her hand.

"Don't leave me; he'll come and get me," she pleaded. Mimi sat back down.

"Roger will be here to keep you safe. He'd never lay a hand on you." Maureen's grip loosened some. "Roger will keep you safe if Dan tried to hurt you." Maureen stiffened at the mention of Dan's name.

"How'd you know it was Dan?"  
"I had a feeling. Joanne had a feeling too. She's really worried about you. Why don't you tell her what happened? I'm sure she can help." Maureen shook her head.

"She has Cat now, I'm yesterday's new." Mimi brushed a strand of hair out of Maureen's face. It didn't look like Maureen's face though. She had a nasty black eye and a huge gauze pad with medical tape around it covering the gash on her forehead.

"That's not true. Joanna cares a lot about you. She still loves you, Mo."  
"Then why is she dating Cat?"  
"Same reason you dated Dan."  
"Please don't mention his name." Mimi leaned over and kissed Maureen's head.

"I'm sorry. Listen, I have to go to Life Support. Talk to Roger if you need to talk; believe it or not, he's a _great_ listener." With that, Mimi got up. Maureen picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels.

An hour after Mark and Mimi left for Life Support, Roger got up to go check on Maureen. Maureen was lying on the floor watching a movie.

"Why don't you lie on the bed?" Roger asked. Maureen jumped. Roger sat on the floor next to her. Maureen shrugged. "What are you watching?"

"_The King and I_," Maureen replied. Roger leaned against the bed and draped his arm over his knee. He could sense Maureen's uneasiness about him being in the room with her alone. "When will Mimi be back?"  
"About another hour or so. She's at Life Support." Roger paused. "Do you want to talk about it?" Maureen shook her head.

"There's nothing to talk about."  
"I think there is. This man beats you, and you won't do anything about it. At least tell Joanne."  
"I, I can't. Please don't make me." Roger reached out to comfort Maureen, but the diva pulled away. "Don't touch me please. I, I want to be alone."

"Okay." Roger got up and left Maureen alone.

As soon as Maureen was alone, she pulled a razor out of her bag. She drew the blade across her skin. She didn't need a reason to feel pain, she just needed to feel again. When Maureen was done, she hid the razor in her bag. She could hear Roger playing his guitar in the next room. The music was soothing to Maureen. It was like a security blanket that wrapped around her and calmed her down. Maureen wrapped a thin blanket around herself and focused on the movie.

Mark was editing together some film when the phone began to ring. He stopped what he was doing and answered it.

"Hello?"  
"Mark, it's Joanne." Joanne sounded pretty worried.

"Oh hey Joanne." Maureen's head snapped up. "What can I do for you?"  
"Dan called here looking for Maureen. Have you seen her lately?" mark chewed on his bottom lip.

"have I seen Maureen?" Maureen grabbed at Mark's arm and silently pleaded with him. mark sighed. "Sorry Jo, I haven't seen her."

"Okay, thanks. If you do, let her know for me. Bye."

"Okay, bye."

Mark hung up the phone and said to Maureen, "Joanne said that Dan's looking for you." The color drained from Maureen's face, and she began to shake.

"He can't find me, Mark," she sobbed. "If he finds me, he'll punish me; he'll beat me." Mark looked into Maureen's chocolate brown eyes and hugged her.

"I won't let that bastard lay a hand on you. I promise." Maureen pushed Mark away. She walked past her half eaten sandwich and locked herself in the bathroom. The sound of her throwing up quickly followed. Mark cleaned up Maureen's dishes.

Mimi and Angel entered the loft several minutes later only to hear Maureen still in the bathroom. Mark quickly filled the two in on what had just happened.

"Oh, poor Mo!" Angel exclaimed. "She should really tell Joanne about all this."

"We tried to get her to, but she thinks that Joanne hates her," Mimi explained. Angel sighed and sat on one of the battered chairs. The sound of Maureen getting sick stopped. "How much did she eat, Mark?" Mimi asked.

"About half a sandwich. I'm really worried about this throwing up habit of hers; she's only loosing more weight."

"I know, I know." The bathroom door opened, and out stumbled Maureen. She went directly to the bedroom without looking at anyone else.

"Let me go talk to her," Angel said. Mimi nodded and watched Angel knock on the bedroom door.

Maureen dragged the blade across her wrist. She was about to do it again when Angel knocked on the door. Maureen jumped and shoved the razor under the mattress.

"Maureen, sweetie, it's Angel. May I come in?" Maureen didn't reply. Angel opened the door and found the diva huddled on the floor next to the bed. "Hey sugar, how are you feeling? You know, Joanne's _really_ worried about you." Maureen looked up.

"Really?"

"Of course, Mo. She's really worried about where you are and everything. She still loves you. Why don't you call her and tell her what's wrong?" Maureen bit her bottom lip.

After a few seconds, she said, "Okay, I'll tell Joanne."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:  
**

Joanne grabbed her jacket and purse off the table. Cat was sitting on the couch, sulking. Joanne was going to go see Maureen.

"Okay Cat, what's wrong?" she asked.

"You're going to go see Maureen!" Cat announced as she jumped to her feet. "It's always about Maureen! Why won't you stay here with me?"  
"Because something is _really_ wrong with Maureen, and she's decided to tell me what!"

"All you ever talk about is that bitchy drama queen."

"And all _you_ ever talk about is yourself. We're all one big family, and it's high time that you realize it!"

"I can't take it anymore! It's either your 'family', or this." Cat kissed Joanne tenderly, but Joanne felt nothing from the kiss. The kiss was just Cat trying to keep Joanne around a little longer.

"I want your stuff out of here in twenty-four hours," Joanne said firmly. Cat crossed her arms and watched Joanne walk out of her life.

Joanne made her way through the New York City crowd to the subway. For the first time in ages, she felt free. She no longer had Cat trying to pull her away from her Bohemian family. Taking a deep breath, the lawyer closed her eyes. The whole way to the loft, her mind reeled with what could possibly be wrong with Maureen.

Maureen paced back and forth across the loft and pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Joanne was due to arrive any minute, and Maureen was deathly afraid of what would happen next. Maureen continued to pace. Her long hair fell limp in her face as she hung her hair. She was a ghost, a shadow of her former glorious self. Maureen wasn't in this alone, and she knew that. Mimi was up on the roof relaxing, and Mark was in his room doing Lord only knows what. A knock on the door caused Maureen to gasp. She knew who it was. It was now or never. With shaking hands, Maureen answered the door. When she saw who it was, she froze. It wasn't Joanne, it was…Dan.

**A/N:** Short chapter…SORRY!!! The last one was REALLY long, so yeah, that made up for it.

Tina101


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Maureen back away from the door; her eyes wide with fear. Dan slapped her and sent her flying to the ground.

"You thought that I wouldn't find you, didn't you?" he growled as he kicked Maureen in the stomach several times. The diva let out a cry of pain, getting Mark's attention.

"Mo?" he asked. "You okay?" in a flash, Dan had his gun out. Maureen jumped up and grabbed Dan. The gun went off. Mark grabbed his upper arm and stumbled backwards.

"Leave Mark out of this" Maureen cried. Dan punched her and threw her to the ground. He heard Mimi coming down from the roof and panicked. He kicked Maureen's face and torso and shot the diva in the stomach.

Mimi bolted down the stairs when she heard the second gunshot. Now, she was sure that the shots were coming from the loft. Mimi entered the lost in time to see a man running down the fire escape. Mimi rushed to Mark's side. The filmmaker was leaning against the wall, holding his arm.

"Mark! What happened?" Mimi exclaimed.

"Call 911, and go check on Maureen. Hurry!" commanded Mark. Mimi got to her feet and grabbed the phone. She quickly dialed 911.

"My friends, my friends have been shot!" she cried. She gave the operator the address to the loft and rushed to Maureen's side. The diva had a large bump on her head and was bleeding the worst from her stomach.

"Keep pressure on the wound," Mark directed as he slid across the floor towards Maureen and Mimi. The dancer followed his directions.

"What about you?"  
"I just got grazed. Focus on Mo." Mimi nodded and continued to keep pressure on Maureen's bleeding wound.

Time seemed to crawl by for Mimi. She could hear Maureen struggle for each and every breath. Finally, the paramedics arrived. Maureen was still unconscious. Much to Mark's dismay, he had to be carried down to the ambulance on a stretcher. Mimi followed Maureen's stretcher down to the street. Just as they loaded Maureen into an ambulance, Joanne came running down the street.

"What the hell happened!?" she exclaimed.

"Dan shot Mark and Maureen," Mimi replied. Joanne's hand flew to her mouth.

"Are they okay?"

"Yeah, Mark's okay, but Maureen…" Mimi trailed off. A tear slid down Joanne's cheek. "They're taking her to the hospital right now. I'll ride with Mark." Joanne slipped past Mimi and climbed into the back of the ambulance.

The paramedics ripped open Maureen's shirt and tended to the gunshot wound. They worked with such grace and ease in the back of a moving vehicle. All Joanne did was hold Maureen's frail hand and silently prayed that she'd make it through this.

The second the ambulance got to the Emergency Room, Maureen was whisked away to surgery. Joanne went down to the waiting room to wait for Mimi to arrive. The lawyer buried her face in her hands and cried softly. After a few minutes, she felt someone wrap their arms around her.

"Roger, Collins and Angel are on their way," Mimi told the lawyer. Joanne nodded. She was too shocked to say anything. "Don't worry, Maureen's a fighter." Joanne leaned against Mimi and continued to cry. All this seemed like one horrible dream.

Roger, Angel and Collins all came rushing into the waiting room half an hour later. Angel immediately wrapped her arms around Joanne.

"Where's Mark?" Roger asked.

"Getting some stitches. He sent me out here to wait for him," Mimi replied. She still looked slightly dazed about the whole thing. Roger sat down next to the dancer and pulled her onto his lap.

"Is Maureen okay?" Collins asked.

"She's in surgery," Joanne said through tears. "She's really beat up. Why would anyone want to hurt her?" The Bohemians looked at each other.

"Joanne, honey, Maureen's been at the loft for the past week because Dan beat the shit out of her," Mimi said.

"You all knew that he beat her!? Why didn't anyone tell me this?" Joanne cried. Angel rubbed the distraught lawyer's back to calm her down.

"Maureen begged us not to tell you," Mimi replied. "She was going to tell you tonight. She thought that you didn't care anymore though."

"But I do care about her! And now I may never get a chance to tell her that!"  
"Shh, shh, calm down," Angel said as she continued to rub Joanne's back in hopes of calming her down at least a little.

An hour later, Mark entered the room was a bandage around his bicep and in a sling. All the Bohemians gave the filmmaker a hug. Everyone was relieved that he was alright.

"I'm fine you guys, really," Mark insisted. "How's Maureen?"

"She's still in surgery," Roger replied. Mark sighed. How had this happened? Maureen was in critical condition, because she was shot by her abusive boyfriend. Things were starting to get out of hand. The Bohemians all sat down and did the only thing they could do…wait.

Time seemed to crawl by for Joanne. She sat next to Angel on the couch with her head resting on the drag queen's shoulder. At long last, a nurse came into the waiting room.

"Is there anyone here for Ms. Johnson?" she asked. Joanne stood up and nodded.

"Yeah, I am," she replied.

"Okay, follow me." Joanne glanced over her shoulder at her friends and followed the nurse. Standing out in the hallway was the doctor. He was a Hispanic man in his thirties.

"Dr. Garcia," he said as he extended his hand. Joanne shook it.

"Joanne Jefferson. Is Maureen going to be alright?" Dr. Garcia began to lead Joanne down the hallway.

"It's touch and go right now. Unfortunately, she has slipped into a coma." A tear slid down Joanne's cheek. "It doesn't look like she'll be in a coma for long. In addition to the gunshot wound, Ms. Johnson was two broken ribs a fractured nose and extreme sexual trauma. It appears like sexual abuse and rape that's been going on for a while. Do you know anything about that?" Joanne shook her head. Dr. Garcia stopped outside Maureen's room. "Ms. Jefferson, there's more. Ms. Johnson is _severely_ underweight. There are also multiple self-inflicted cuts on her arms." Joanne began to shake her head.

"That' can't be right. Her friend killed herself by slitting her wrists a few years ago. Maureen wouldn't do anything like that." Joanne stopped. "Oh God, she tried to kill herself!"

"A person who cuts could also be craving for attention or trying to feel emotions. We'll have someone come and try to talk to her. Right now, I think that you should go see her. The police are going to want to talk to you at some point too." Joanne nodded.

"Thank you." Dr. Garcia shook Joanne's hand and left. Taking a deep breath, the lawyer entered Maureen's room.

Joanne barely recognized Maureen. Most of her exposed skin was black and blue. Joanne sat in the chair next to Maureen's bed and held the diva's hand. She couldn't help but look at Maureen's forearm. There were many cuts on her arm. Some were covered with gauze pads. The bed seemed to swallow up Maureen. Her hair was ratty and un-brushed, and her face was swollen in some parts and hollow in others. Joanne kissed Maureen's hand and rested her head on the bed next to the diva's frail form.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Maureen's head wracked with pain. Come to think of it, her whole body hurt. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She had to squint due to the bright lights. One thing was for sure, she definitely _wasn't_ at the loft. Maureen's tried to open her mouth but couldn't.

"Don't talk, they wired your jaw shut," a familiar voice said. Maureen turned her head to find Joanne sitting next to her. Maureen closed her eyes. She wanted to ask a million questions, but she couldn't. "Here, use this." Joanne handed Maureen a pad of paper and a pen.

_Why?_ She wrote.

"Just a precaution. They're going to remove the wire the day after tomorrow."

_Is Mark okay?_ Maureen's handwriting was shaky, not the usual delicate, flowery script she wrote in. Joanne nodded.

"He was released yesterday. A bullet just grazed him. He, Roger and Mimi are staying with Angel and Collins for a few days."

_What day is it?_

"Tuesday. You've been out since late Sunday night, early Monday morning." Joanne paused. "How are you feeling?"

_My side hurts._

"I'll go get the doctor to see if he'll give you some pain medicine." When Joanne stood up, Maureen grabbed her hand. The lawyer stroked Maureen's cheek. "I'll be right back, I promise." Joanne kissed Maureen's forehead softly and left to go find Dr. Garcia.

Maureen's eyes fluttered open when she heard the door open. Joanne came in with Dr. Garcia. Dr. Garcia gave Maureen a warm smile when he saw that she was awake.

"Nice to see that you're up, Ms. Johnson. I'm Dr. Garcia." Maureen shook his hand weakly. "How are you feeling?" Maureen picked up her pen and paper.

_Everything hurts._

"We have you on several painkillers, so there's nothing more that we can do at this point. I'm sorry." Maureen looked upset about this.

_When can I go home_? Dr. Garcia sighed.

"It's not that easy I'm afraid. You are twenty-five pounds underweight. We can't release you until you gain at least fifteen pounds. We also need to see how the coma affected you. I see you skills with your hands are fine, but we'll need to check your verbal and motor skills."

_When can we do that?_ Dr. Garcia chuckled.

"The day after tomorrow. Right now, I want you to rest. I'll be back to check on you in a little while." Dr. Garcia shook Maureen's hand one more time and left.

As soon as Dr. Garcia left, Joanne took a seat in her chair next to Maureen's bed and said, "Mo, I want to talk to you about something."

_About what?_ Joanne took Maureen's hand and turned it over, exposing her cuts. Right away, Maureen rolled over so her back was to Joanne.

"Maureen, please, talk to me. I want to understand this, but I can't if you don't explain it to me." Joanne sat on the bed and put her hand on Maureen's shoulder. The diva was pinching her arm until she drew blood. "Baby, please, stop. You're only hurting yourself. Talk to me." Maureen shrugged Joanne's hand off and closed her eyes. Joanne kissed her temple. "Calm down, calm down baby." Joanne continued to whisper in Maureen's ear until her eyes slipped closed.

Joanne was sitting next to Maureen's sleeping form when there was a soft knock on the door. The door opened, and in came Collins and Angel.

"Hey," Joanne said quietly as she gave them each a hug. "What brings you two here?"

"We wanted to check on you guys," Angel replied. "How's Maureen doing?" Joanne sighed.

"She woke up, but she can't talk right now. She pinched her arm instead of cutting herself now." Maureen's eyes fluttered open, and she rolled over.

"Hey honey," Angel said when she saw that Maureen was awake. "Glad to see that you're getting better." Maureen smiled weakly. It was good to see Angel and Collins again, but she honestly wasn't in the mood for visitors. "I believe you still owe me and Mimi a shopping trip. The second you're one hundred percent better, we'll go; me treat."

"Yeah, with my paycheck," grumbled Collins. Angel swatted his arm playfully.

"You got it girl?" Maureen nodded. Angel was trying to make her feel better, but she couldn't help but remember the reason why she owed Angel and Mimi a shopping trip. Angel and Collins only stayed for an hour before leaving for Life Support.

As Angel and Collins left, Maureen noticed a police officer standing outside the door to her room.

_What's with the cop?_ She asked Joanne. Joanne sighed.

"To keep you safe. They, uh, they haven't found Dan yet. That's why Mark, Mimi and Roger aren't staying at the loft.

_All this is my fault. If I hadn't left Dan, none of this would have happened._

"If you hadn't left Dan, you might be dead." Joanne stroked Maureen's cheek. "Don't blame yourself for this. None of this is your fault."

_Yes it is, and Dan will find me no matter what!_

"No he won't. I'll keep you safe. I promise, I'll keep you safe," Joanne cooed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Maureen could hardly wait for the wire to be removed from her jaw. At long last, Dr. Garcia removed it.

"Can you talk?" he asked. Maureen opened and closed her mouth several times. Her jaw hurt some.

"Yeah," she said in a hoarse voice. Joanne looked relieved that Maureen could talk.

"You think you're up to trying to walk?" Maureen nodded. She swung her legs over the side of the bed. They looked like two pale sticks. She latched on to Joanne's arm and slowly stood up. The second Maureen tried to walk, her knees gave out. Joanne grabbed Maureen and pulled her to her feet. Maureen's legs were shaking badly, so she sat back down on the bed.

"What can't I walk?" she asked Dr. Garcia in a hoarse voice.

"A side effect from being in a coma. With physical therapy, you should be able to walk again like nothing was ever wrong."

"Should," Joanne said. "You said should." Dr. Garcia sighed.

"Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. You're a strong young woman though, so I'm confident that you'll make a full recovery." Maureen settled back down in bed. Things were just getting worse and worse.

Dr. Garcia stayed for several more minutes before leaving. A nurse came in and set up a tray of food in front of Maureen. As soon as the nurse left, the diva pushed the food away.

"I'm not hungry," she told Joanne. Sighing, Joanne sat on the edge of the bed. When she tried to hold Maureen's hand, the diva pulled away.

"Mo, you can't be released from the hospital until you gain at least fifteen pounds. Please eat something."  
"I'm so fat; all this will only make me fatter. Please don't make me eat this. Please."

"You weigh eighty-five pounds, that's significantly less than Mimi. Look, I'll get you one of those tofu-burgers and fries if you'll eat them."

"I'm not hungry." As if on cue, Maureen's stomach started to grumble.

"If you don't start eating soon, you'll be forced to see a psychiatrist, and then who knows how long until you'll be released. I can't force you to eat, but think about that." Joanne stood up. "I'm going to go get some coffee, I'll be right back." Joanne grabbed her purse and left.

When Joanne got back from the cafeteria, Maureen's chicken was half gone. The lawyer couldn't help but smile as she sat back down.

"There you go. Doesn't it feel better to have some food in your system?" she asked. Maureen shrugged.

"I feel so fat and ugly." Joanne leaned forward. Maureen stiffened, so the lawyer went back to her original position.

"You're beautiful and perfect." Maureen pushed her food away and laid down. She wasn't really tired, but she didn't want to talk to Joanne. She knew that the lawyer was lying to her.

A knock on the door caused Maureen to jump. Joanne put her hand on the diva's arm. The door opened, and in walked a young man and a young woman.

"Ms. Johnson? My name is Detective Benson, and this is my partner Detective Stabler. We're handling your case." Maureen didn't roll over, so Joanne stood up.

"Joanne Jefferson; I'm a close fried of Maureen's." Joanne shook both detectives' hands.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Jefferson," Detective Stabler said. Detective Benson sat on the edge of Maureen's bed.

"Ms. Jefferson, would you mind stepping outside with my partner so he can talk to you about some things?" she asked. Joanne nodded. She glanced at Maureen and left with Detective Stabler. "Hi Maureen, my name's Olivia." Maureen rolled over. She was comforted by Olivia's calm voice. "I'm here to talk to you about what happened. We went down to your old apartment. I want you to walk me through a typical day." Maureen began to finger the gauze pads on her wrists.

"Dan would wake me up every morning before he left for work," she started quietly. "The food would already be out on the counter. I'd make him breakfast, and he'd leave for work. I'd have the whole day to myself, but I'd have to follow the rules."

"What rules?"

"Don't use the phone, don't answer the door, don't leave the apartment, and nobody is allowed to enter the apartment."

"What would happen if you broke one of the rules?" Maureen began to cry softly and pinch her arm. Olivia changed the subject. "There was a mat on the floor in the closet, what was that for?"

"My bed. I, I wasn't allowed on the bed unless it was for Dan."

"What do you mean by, 'unless it was for Dan'?"

"The purpose of a woman for Dan is to keep the house and give him sex whenever he wanted it."  
"What if you didn't want to have sex?" Maureen shrugged.

"Didn't matter."

"Maureen, that's rape." Maureen began to cry even harder.

"Where's Joanne? I want Joanne. Where is she?" Olivia stood up.

"I'll go get her. It was nice talking to you." Maureen kept pinching her arm as Olivia left.

Joanne and Detective Stabler (Elliot) were talking quietly outside of Maureen's room when Olivia came out.

"She's asking for you," Olivia told Joanne. The lawyer nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "I guess we'll keep in touch." Joanne shook both detectives' hands and went back inside Maureen's room.

Maureen was curled up on her side, crying, when Joanne entered the room. The lawyer sat on the edge of the bed and began to rub Maureen's back.

"It's okay, it's okay baby," Joanne cooed.

"Don't touch me please. Don't touch me." Joanne tried to brush a strand of hair out of Maureen's face, but the diva turned away. "Please, don't touch me." Joanne got up and sat next to the bed. Maureen continued to cry until all Joanne heard was a whimper. Joanne knew that Maureen couldn't go back to the loft, not like this. The two would have to move in together, which Joanne wanted more than anything.

It took Maureen nearly two weeks, but she gained seventeen pounds. Dr. Garcia deemed her able to be released as long as someone was there to watch her twenty-four/seven.

"Now, where will you be staying?" he asked.

Before Maureen could respond, Joanne replied, "With me." Maureen opened her mouth to protest, but the lawyer shushed her. "It's already been taken care of. Your stuff's been move, and I'm able to work mostly from home for the next six weeks. When I have to go in, Mimi said she'd come by." Maureen sighed. Dr. Garcia was impressed with Joanne's plan.

"Okay, I'll get the papers, and you can go home." Dr. Garcia smiled and left. Several minutes later, he returned with some papers. Maureen signed her name, and she and Joanne left. Maureen was happy to be home, but she was afraid of what would happen to her next.

**A/N: **If you wanna see what Olivia, Elliot and eventually Casey look like, their pictures are on my homepage.

Tina101


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Roger and Mark had removed all the space rugs from Joanne's apartment, so Maureen could move around in her wheelchair easily. Maureen barely acknowledged her all her friends' work. It was late, and she and Joanne were both tired. Joanne helped Maureen get changed and get into bed. The diva immediately curled up as small as possible on the far end of the bed. Joanne waited until she was sure that Maureen was asleep before going to bed herself.

A strangled cry woke Joanne up. She sat up just in time to see Maureen get out of bed only to fall on the floor. Joanne leapt out of bed. Maureen scrambled across the floor and wedged herself between the dresser and the wall where the hamper usually went. Joanne crouched down across from her.

"Maureen, honey, what's wrong?"

"He's coming to get me, I just know he is. He'll kill me. He's going to kill me!" Maureen sobbed. Joanne pulled the diva onto her lap. She still weighed next to nothing.

"He can't get to you, Mo. There's a police officer standing right outside our apartment to keep you safe. Don't worry, you're safe." Maureen began to pinch her arm. "Don't do that honey." Maureen cuddled closer to Joanne. "Do you want something to eat?" Maureen looked up with her big, brown eyes.

"I'm not hungry," she replied.

"Come on, I made Roger get a whole bunch of frozen pizzas. I don't mind making you one." Maureen nodded. Joanne slid her off her lap. "You want to help?" Joanne picked Maureen up bridal style. Maureen felt so useless having to be carried when she didn't have her wheelchair. Joanne put her in her wheelchair. "There, I'll got preheat the oven." Maureen watched Joanne leave. No matter what, the diva knew that she'd always be there for her.

Joanne turned on the kitchen light and turned on the oven. The clock on the wall read six in the morning. It was later than she had thought. Joanne pulled a pizza out of the freezer and a bottle of soda out of the refrigerator. Everyone deserved to splurge on junk food every once in a while. Joanne heard Maureen wheel into the room.

"What happened to Cat?" sighing, Joanne turned around.

"We called it off right before this all happened." Maureen stared at her lap.

"It's all my fault isn't it?" Joanne's face softened. She went over and knelt down in front of Maureen.

"She made me realize how much I still love you. Besides, the Bohemian way of life didn't really agree with her." Joanne put her hand over Maureen's thinner one. The diva was starting to get better with physical contact with others, just not men. "You feeling a little better?" Maureen shrugged.

"I guess so."

"You want to talk about it?" before Maureen could answer, the oven dinged. Joanne stood up and put the pizza in the oven. When she turned back around, Maureen was in the other room. She was staring out the window at the rising sun. Joanne got the plates and cups out of the cabinet. "Do you want to help set the table?" Maureen slowly wheeled herself over to the kitchen. She still wasn't used to the wheelchair.

"Yeah." Maureen grabbed the plates off the counter and balanced them on her lap. As she back up, her chair hit the counter, and the plates went flying to the ground; shattering. Startled, Joanne spun around. "I'm sorry!" Maureen cried. She flinched when Joanne took a step towards her. Before Joanne could calm Maureen down, the diva fled to the far corner of the family room.

"Maureen…"  
"I'm sorry," Maureen repeated over and over again. Joanne quickly cleaned up the broken glass and went over to comfort Maureen.

"Don't blame yourself, it was an accident." Maureen continued to pinch herself. Joanne gently pulled her hands apart. "Don't do that baby." Maureen began to scratch at her thigh. "Stop Maureen before I cut your nails." Maureen stopped. "See, there you go. Calm down, calm down." Joanne kissed the top of Maureen's head. "I love you."

"Don't lie to me! Nobody could ever love someone like me." When Joanne tried to hug Maureen, the diva pushed her away. She hoisted herself up onto the window seat and drew her knees to her chest.

Later that morning, Maureen was still huddled by the window. Joanne had wrapped a thick blanket around the diva, but that's all. A knock on the door caused Maureen to jump. Joanne got up to answer it. Standing in the doorway was her coworker, John.

"Hey," John said casually.

"Hi, come on in." Joanne stood aside so John could enter the apartment. "What can I do for you?" John handed her a packet of papers.

"Unfortunately, work." John caught sight of Maureen. "Oh hey Mo." Joanne grabbed John's arm before he approached Maureen and shook her head. "How long are you off work?"

"A few weeks." Joanne glanced at Maureen. "I need to be home to take care of some things. I'll be able to come in on occasion to work, but it'll mostly be working from home." John gave Joanne a friendly hug.

"Let me know if you need _anything_ at all, okay?" Joanne nodded. "Good, now I unfortunately have to get down to the office. I'll talk to you later." Joanne said goodbye to John, and her coworker left.

Maureen refused to eat or even acknowledge Joanne all day. She simply sat huddled on the window seat staring out into space. The telephone rang. Maureen picked up the phone next to her.

"Hello?"  
"Maureen, it's Detective Elliot Stabler. How are you doing?" Maureen smiled. She really liked Elliot and Olivia.

"I'm doing okay. How about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm calling to tell you that we caught Dan Keyes." Maureen nearly dropped the phone. "We have him in custody."

"Thank you. Thank you _so_ much!" Joanne got up off the couch and approached Maureen. "Here's Joanne."

"Okay, thank you." Maureen handed Joanne the phone and wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She felt slightly at ease. The monster that had caused her so much pain was finally behind bars. Maureen looked at things in a different light. After Joanne hung up the phone, she pulled Maureen close.

"See, this nightmare's almost over. You've been so strong. Good job sweetie." Maureen buried her face in Joanne's chest and clung to the lawyer's shirt. She felt so safe now, so secure.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Joanne wheeled Maureen into the physical therapy building. Four days a week, Maureen would go to physical therapy, and Joanne would go to her firm two blocks away to work. Joanne kissed Maureen's cheek.

"I'll be back in two hours, behave yourself," Joanne said firmly. Maureen nodded.

"Don't I always? Tell John I said hi," she said. Joanne waved and left to go down to her office. Maureen wheeled herself over to where her nurse, Sarah, was.

"Hey Maureen," Sarah said as she helped Maureen onto one of the weight machines. "How've you been?" Maureen shrugged.

"Pretty good. The court case starts next week. I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be, you'll do fine." Maureen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and began to work out. She _hated_ using the weights. The only two things she liked about therapy was getting out of the apartment and learning how to walk again. All Maureen wanted was to get back her independence.

After an hour of the weights, Sarah said, "Okay Maureen, let's get you to the bars." Maureen wheeled herself over to the two parallel bars three feet off the ground. She hoisted herself to her feet and grabbed the bars firmly. "Take your time." Maureen nodded.

"I know, I know." With great care, Maureen began to make her way along the two bars. Sweat trickled down her brow as she walked. This wasn't easy, but it was the only way to relearn how to walk.

Joanne was sitting at her desk working when her secretary paged her. Apparently someone was there to see her. Joanne had her secretary send her guest in. A woman in her thirties with blond hair walked in. Joanne stood up.

"Joanne Jefferson, my name is Casey Novak. I'm the prosecutor handling Dan Keyes' case." Joanne shook Casey's hand.

"Nice to meet you. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you Ms. Novak?" Casey sat down across from Joanne.

"Call me Casey. I'm here to talk to you about the trial next week. I want to make sure that Ms. Johnson is emotionally stable to testify next week."

"Maureen's nervous about testifying, but I've never seen a person who isn't. we've talked about what's going to happen, and she's as prepared as someone can be." Casey nodded.

"I guess it helps that you're a lawyer."

"Maybe just a little." Casey stood up to leave.

"Well, I know you have a lot of work to get done. I'll be in touch." Casey shook Joanne's hand and left.

After Joanne picked Maureen up from physical therapy, the couple went straight home. Maureen was completely wiped.

"The prosecutor for the case stopped by my office," Joanne said as she got herself something to drink. "Do you want to talk some more about what's going to happen next week?" Maureen shook her head. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I'm really tired. I'm just going to shower and take a nap." Joanne watched Maureen as she wheeled out of the room. No matter what, the diva changed the subject when it came to Dan. Joanne was worried that she was bottling all her emotions up inside of her. That couldn't be healthy for anyone.

Very slowly, Maureen put one foot in front of the other. Sarah walked along side of her in case she lost her balance. Maureen furrowed her brow in extreme concentration.

"You're doing great," Sarah said. Finally, Maureen got to the far side of the room. Letting out a sigh, she sat down on one of the cots and grabbed her water bottle. "Good job, Maureen. You've come so far." Maureen smiled.

"Thanks." Sarah looked at the clock on the wall.

"Looks like Joanne will be here soon to pick you up." Maureen nodded and took another sip of water.

"Don't tell her how well I'm doing, I want to surprise her." Sarah rolled her eyes. Maureen kicked her legs back and forth casually. "Come on, please?"

"Fine, I won't tell her. you have a weird way of entertaining yourself." Maureen flashed Sarah a cheeky smile.

"I need something to keep myself occupied in this wasteland," she said with a shrug. Maureen looked up and saw Joanne enter the room. "Wait there, Joanne. Just stay right there." Joanne stopped. Sarah helped Maureen to her feet. Very carefully, the diva made her way across the room. Joanne could help but smile. Finally, Maureen got to the other side of the room.

"I'm so proud of you, Mo," Joanne said. Maureen smiled and kissed Joanne on the lips for the first time in months.

Later that night, Maureen was in the kitchen taking her medicine when the phone began to ring. The diva grabbed her walker and made her way over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Maureen Johnson please," a male voice said.

"This is Maureen. May I ask who's calling?"  
"Are you sure you want to testify in court?"

"What?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you've got all your facts straight. Wouldn't want the wrong person to go to jail or for something bad to happen." Maureen began to shake. The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello!?" Joanne came into the room.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked.

"Nobody, it was the wrong number. I'm going to go lie down." Joanne watched Maureen leave. The lawyer knew that she was lying, but she couldn't figure out why.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

Joanne rolled over in bed only to find Maureen gone. The lawyer got up, pulled on her robe and went out to the family room. Maureen was huddled on the window seat shivering. The diva wrapped her arms tighter around her. She had on two sweatshirts, jeans, sweatpants and three blankets, but nothing could stop her from shaking. Maureen nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Joanne's hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Joanne asked. Maureen didn't respond. "Nervous about tomorrow?" Maureen didn't even acknowledge Joanne. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You need to rest." Maureen shrank away from Joanne. "What's wrong baby? Talk to me, please." Maureen leaned against the cool window and closed her eyes. Joanne simply sat next to the diva and rubbed her upper arm. "Come back to bed, you have a big day ahead of you." Maureen pressed herself up against Joanne. "See, there you go. Let's get you back to bed." Joanne picked Maureen up and carried her back to bed. Right away, the diva curled up in a ball and squeezed her eyes hut. Joanne listened helplessly as her lover cried herself to sleep. Something was _really_ bothering, and Joanne figured that it had to do with the phone call earlier.

Maureen's eyes flew open. Joanne was standing next to her, gently shaking her shoulder. Maureen groaned loudly.

"Come on, time to get up. We have to leave in an hour," Joanne said. Maureen sat up. "You doing okay?" The diva reached past Joanne and grabbed her walker. Wordlessly, she got to her feet and left to go shower. Joanne simply watched Maureen leave. She hadn't said anything since that phone call.

Maureen turned on the hot water and sat on the bench in the shower. It didn't take long before she was soaked. The water pounded against Maureen's skin. She couldn't testify. What if she _did_ have the facts mixed up? Maureen leaned over and grabbed the razor off the ledge. She had tried to quit, but she couldn't. was this what it had been like for Roger and Mimi to get clean? Maureen made two clean cuts across her wrist and got out of the shower. She pulled on her robe and went out to the kitchen. For some reason, she didn't realize that she was still bleeding. Joanne was in their bedroom getting dressed, so Maureen got herself some coffee. She started to feel lightheaded and tipsy; almost drunk in a way.

Joanne dug through her closet looking for her other shoe. She finally found it and pulled it one. She could hear Maureen moving around in the kitchen. Joanne sighed. She was nervous about the trial. Maureen was well-prepared, but sometimes that didn't matter. All it takes is one look at the attacker, and it's all over. A crash from the kitchen shattered Joanne's thoughts. She rushed to the kitchen to find Maureen crumpled on the floor.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Joanne rushed to Maureen's side and checked her weak pulse before calling 911. An ambulance was sent right away. Joanne knelt down next to Maureen. It was then that the lawyer saw all the blood.

"Oh Lord," Joanne breathed. She grabbed the dishtowel off the counter and pressed it against the two cuts on Maureen's wrist. "Stay with me, Mo. Come on baby, don't leave me." Joanne continued to put pressure on the wounds until the paramedics _finally_ arrived.

The ride to the hospital was unfortunately familiar to Joanne. The second she got to the Emergency Room, the lawyer pulled out her phone to call everyone. Joanne dialed without thinking.

"Hello?" Angel asked sleepily.

"Angel, its Joanne. We're, uh, we're at the hospital. Could you pass the message along to everyone else?"

"Of course honey. Is Maureen okay?" Maureen took a deep breath.

"She collapsed this morning." Joanne's voice was shaky. "There are two cuts on her arm, so that and the stress finally got to her."

"You want me to come down there?"

"If you don't mind."  
"Of course sweetie. I'll call the loft, and then come down there. Don't worry, Joanne, Mo is a strong woman; she'll make it through this."

"Thanks Angel."

"Anytime; I'll be right over." Joanne hung up her phone and began to call Elliot. Someone handling the case needed to know what was happening. Elliot promised that someone would be down to the hospital as soon as possible. All Joanne could now was sit around and wait.

Olivia was the first to arrive at the hospital; probably because she had a car. Joanne stood up when she saw Olivia.

"What happened?" the detective asked.

"She collapsed this morning. I found two new cuts on her arm." Olivia sighed.

"Is that all?"

"There was this call, yesterday. I didn't hear it, but Maureen was pretty shaken up about it. She hasn't said a word to me since then." Olivia nodded.

"I'll have someone on it right away. Do you want anything? Coffee, soda perhaps?"

"Coffee please." Olivia patted Joanne's arm.

"Of course, I'll be right back." Joanne sat back down and put her head in her hands.

Joanne looked up when Olivia returned with two cups of coffee. The lawyer smiled gratefully and took a sip of the warm liquid.

"Joanne!" Angel exclaimed. Joanne spun around to find Angel running into the room in jeans and a red jacket; no makeup and no wig. Joanne figured that he must have been in a huge rush to get down to the hospital. Angel wrapped his arms around Joanne. "I came right down."

"Thank you _so_ much," Joanne said. Angel rubbed the lawyer's back.

"Anytime; Collins couldn't get off work, and no one picked up at the loft, so I left a message. Don't worry, everything will be alright." Joanne pulled away from Angel.

"Angel, this is Olivia Benson. She's one of the detectives handling the case." Olivia and Angel shook hands.

"Nice to meet you," Olivia said.

"Likewise. Where's Maureen?"

"They're running tests on her. I, I don't know what's wrong. I was getting dressed when I heard a crash. I rushed into the kitchen and found her on the floor." Angel continued to rub Joanne's back.

"She'll be fine. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Finally, Joanne was allowed to see Maureen, who was now awake. The walk to the hospital room seemed so familiar.

"There's something I should tell you," Dr. Garcia said as they walked down the hall. "Ms. Johnson is on a suicide watch. Also, she's refused to even acknowledge anyone. If she continues this, she'll be admitted to the psyche ward." Joanne nodded.

"Thanks, I'll try to talk to her." Dr. Garcia shook Joanne's hand and left.

Joanne entered Maureen's room. The diva was curled up on the bed with her back to the door. Joanne went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Maureen, I know you can hear me. Please roll over so I talk to you face to face." Maureen didn't budge. "Maureen, if you keep this up, you'll be sent to the psyche ward. I don't know when I'll be able to get you back home if that happens. Please talk to me." Maureen remained silent. Joanne sighed. "Angel's here, do you want to talk to him?" Maureen shook her head. "How about Olivia?" Maureen nodded. "Okay, I'll go get her." Joanne kissed Maureen's temple and went to go get Olivia.

Olivia knocked on the door softly before entering Maureen's room. The diva was still in the same position. Olivia sat in the chair next to the bed.

"Joanne said that you wanted to talk to me," she said. "How are you feeling?" Maureen rolled over.

"I can't testify," she said quietly. Her voice was a barely audible whisper.

"Why not?" tears began to form in Maureen's eyes. She started to pick at the bandages around her forearm.

"I just can't. Please don't make me." Olivia put her hand over Maureen's to stop her. "What if I mess up, and he goes free?"

"He _will_ go free if you don't testify. Does this have to do with the phone call you got yesterday?" Maureen froze. "Tell me what happened yesterday."

"This guy called. He said that he wanted to make sure that I had my facts straight, and, and…" Maureen trailed off.

"And what?"

"He threatened me. He said that something bad might happen if I do testify."

"Did you recognize the voice?" Maureen's gaze drifted down as she stopped to think. "It's alright if you don't."

"No, no I do, well, sorta. This guy used to call Dan a few times a day; it was his voice." Olivia put her hand on Maureen's arm. "Did I do okay?"

"You did great. I'll go call Elliot right now. Do you want me to get Joanne?" Maureen shrugged. "She'll be right in." Maureen rolled back over. She honestly wasn't in the mood to see Joanne, but Olivia's hear was in the right place.

Maureen didn't move when she heard Joanne enter the room. The lawyer simply sat in the chair next to the bed.

"Olivia told me about the call," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?" Maureen didn't move. Joanne stood up and cried, "Don't you get it!? They might take you away from me if you keep this up! Do you want that to happen?" Maureen began to cry. "Talk to me, please," Joanne begged quietly.

"I'm scared," Maureen said. Her voice was so quiet that Joanne almost missed it. "What if he goes free?"

"He won't. Not with your testimony, and..." Joanne trailed off. Maureen rolled over to face the lawyer.

"And what? Tell me, please." Joanne kissed the back of Maureen's thin hand. "You're scaring me, Joanne."

"Apparently he bragged to his friend about you and offered you to him." Maureen's hand began to shake. Now she was certain that to Dan she was no more than a piece of property. "This man wants to help you and is going to testify on your behalf." Maureen nodded.

"I want to meet him," she said firmly. Joanne was taken aback by this comment. "I want to thank him for helping me."

"I'll talk to Olivia and see what we can do." Maureen smiled weakly. Joanne ran her fingers through the diva's soft hair. "How are you feeling?"  
"Confused."

"About what?" Maureen pulled Joanne into bed next to her and rested her head on the lawyer's shoulder.

"Everything. I can't understand my own logic, and I don't understand why you're being so nice to me after all that I put you through." Joanne kissed Maureen's forehead.

"Because I love you, that's why." Maureen snuggled as close as possible to Joanne.

"I love you too, Pookie," she muttered. Joanne smiled. She was finally getting her Maureen back.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

Maureen was released from the hospital five days later after promising not to cut again. As a precaution, Joanne moved all of the knives and medications out of Maureen's reach. Dr. Garcia concluded that Maureen had collapsed from a combination of blood loss and exhaustion, so she had to stay in her wheelchair even longer. Maureen didn't really care anymore, her chair was a part of her; and all she cared about was going home.

Maureen wheeled herself into the apartment and pulled off her gloves. Joanne turned on the lights and put her purse on the table.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked. Maureen stopped to think.

"Anything other than hospital food." Joanne smiled. "I want to order from that Mexican place down the street." Joanne dug through the kitchen drawer for the menu.

"Okay, you want a Diet Coke too?" she asked in a joking manner. Maureen stuck out her tongue. "I'm kidding!" Joanne picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Forty-five minutes later, Joanne and Maureen were curled up on the couch together eating. Maureen was sitting quite comfortable on Joanne's lap.

"Casey Novak called and left a message," Joanne said. "She's happy that you're better, but Dan's lawyer is pushing for a speedy trial. I'm _so_ sorry Honeybear, but you're needed in court tomorrow." Maureen froze. Joanne stroked the diva's wavy hair. "I'm sorry baby, I really am. There's no way around this. If you don't testify-"

"The bastard will go free," Maureen said in a monotone. "I'll be ready this time, I promise." Maureen buried her face in Joanne's neck. She felt the lawyer kiss the top of her head and continue to stroke her hair and back.

Several minutes later, Maureen sat up and asked, "He'll be there, won't he?" Joanne nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, he will, but so will I, and Olivia and Elliot. Dan won't be able to even talk to you. There's nothing for you to worry about." Maureen nodded. "Just tell the truth, and remember, the defense attorney is going to try and make it seem like your fault, because there's so much evidence against Dan. _Don't_ let him shake you up, it's his job."

"I know, you told me this already." Joanne kissed Maureen's cheek softly.

"I'm just making sure. I don't want to have a complete breakdown tomorrow when we get to the courthouse." Maureen snaked her arms around Joanne's neck and closed her eyes. "You tired Honeybear?" The diva shrugged.

"A little." Joanne rubbed her thin back.

"Why don't you go to bed then?" Maureen shook her head.

"I want to stay here with you."

"I have some work to do, so I'll be up for a while. You, however, need your rest. Go to bed, I'll be three soon." Maureen climbed off Joanne's lap and into her wheelchair. Before leaving, she kissed the lawyer tenderly.

"I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too." Maureen flashed Joanne a smile and wheeled herself to their room.

Sighing, Joanne pulled out her briefcase. She had been so worried about Maureen that she had fallen behind on her work. Joanne began flipping through files and taking vigorous notes on her pad of paper. Suddenly, an Earth-shattering scream tore through the apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Joanne jumped to her feet and ran into the bedroom. Maureen was lying in bed kicking and screaming. When Joanne knelt on the bed next to her, she found that the bed was wet. The lawyer moved and grabbed Maureen's shoulders.

"Maureen…Maureen! Wake up baby, it's me. Come on Mo, it's me. You're safe honey, you're safe." Maureen continued to fight back.

"Get off me, please!" she yelled.

"Maureen!" Maureen's eyes flew open. Right away, she rolled over and buried her face in Joanne's stomach. Joanne began to stroke Maureen's hair as the diva continued to sob. "Shh, shh, it's okay. You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore." Maureen sat up and shifted uncomfortably. A sudden realization washed over her.

"Oh God, did I…" Joanne took her face in her hands and ran her thumbs over her cheeks.

"It's okay, it was an accident." Maureen shook her head.

"Only five year olds wet the bed." Joanne kissed the top of Maureen's head.

"I'm not mad at you though. You were having a bad dream." Maureen leaned over and buried her face in Joanne's chest. She was still shaking pretty badly. "Come on, why don't you change while I wash the bed clothes?" Maureen grabbed her walker and made her way over to the dresser. Meanwhile, Joanne pulled the covers off the bed.

"I'm sorry," Maureen said quietly.

"Don't be, this wasn't your fault." Joanne took the soiled blankets and went to go put them in the washer, along with Maureen's clothes.

Maureen pulled on clean pajamas, grabbed a blanket out of the trunk at the foot of the bed and curled up in bed. When Joanne came back, the diva was still awake.

"You coming to bed now, Pookie?" Maureen asked sleepily. Nodding, Joanne began to get changed.

"Yeah, I'm done working for tonight." The lawyer slid under the blanket. Right away, Maureen curled up next to her and rested her head on the lawyer's chest. Joanne rubbed Maureen's back. "You ready for tomorrow?"

"Doesn't matter if I am or not, I have to testify in less than twelve hours." Joanne kissed Maureen's forehead.

"You'll do fine. Now, you _really_ need to get some sleep." Maureen wrapped her arms around Joanne. Soon, her breathing even out, and she was asleep.

Joanne gently woke Maureen up the next morning. The diva groaned loudly and yanked the blanket up over her head.

"Make me!" she announced playfully. Joanne rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket off the bed.

"Come on, up!" Horrible memories of Dan flashed through Maureen's mind. All those times he forced her to get up to cook for him…or worse. Out of instinct, Maureen curled up in a ball and whimpered. She jumped when she felt Joanne's hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I should have known better. I was only playing." Maureen rolled over. Her face was already red and blotchy. "I really am sorry Honeybear."

"You didn't mean to. I should be over this; I should live in fear all the time." Joanne sat on the edge of the bed.

"You've been through the unimaginable; I know that this'll still take a while to get over. All I want you to do is stop blaming yourself, alright?" Maureen nodded. "Good, now you _really_ have to get up." Maureen sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm up, happy?" Joanne nodded and kissed the diva's cheek.

"Yes I am, now you need to shower and get dressed." Maureen grabbed her walker. "I want you to use your wheelchair today." Maureen pulled herself to her feet.

"But-"

"No 'buts', Mo. You just got released from the hospital yesterday, and I don't want to take any chances." Maureen sighed. You can bring your walker though."

"How about my cane?" Joanne stopped for a few seconds to think.

"Okay, only if you promise me that you'll take it easy."

"I will." Joanne watched Maureen leave. She was leaning heavily on her walker; more than before. Each step was careful, almost like she wasn't certain. It almost made Joanne regret letting Maureen take her cane instead of her walker. Joanne got up and began to look around for something to wear.

At exactly ten in the morning, Joanne and Maureen were at the courthouse with Olivia. Maureen kept pulling at the sleeve to her jacket.

"Don't do that Mo," Joanne said as she grabbed Maureen's hand and squeezed it. Maureen simply sat there staring at her lap. "You'll be fine, don't worry." The door to the courtroom opened, and an officer came out.

"Maureen Johnson?" he asked. Joanne and Olivia stood up, and Joanne wheeled Maureen into the room. Once Maureen was in the room, she grabbed her cane and stood up. Very slowly, she made her way to the witness stand. She felt everybody's eyes on her.

Finally, Maureen was sworn in and sitting on the witness stand. Casey stood up to ask her some questions.

"Ms. Johnson, please tell us your relationship with the defendant," she said in a business-like voice. It reminded Maureen of Joanne's "lawyer voice."

"Dan and I dated for about ten months," the diva replied in her strongest voice. "We moved in together after about seven months."

"Can you tell the court what happened after you two began living together?"  
"He became violent. It started out small, grabbing my arm and twisting it behind my back until I cried out in pain. Soon, I was no more than a piece of property. All I did was cook for him and give him my body."

"Can you walk us through a typical day when you were living with Dan?"

"He would wake me up around six in the morning, usually by either by kicking me, pulling my hair or screaming at me. Then, I would have to make him breakfast and pack his lunch. After he left for work, I had the day to myself, but I had to follow the rules."

"What were the rules?"

"Don't answer the door, don't touch the phone, and don't leave the apartment."

"Did you ever break these rules?" Tears began to form in Maureen's brown eyes.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

"What happened when Dan found out?"

"He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me across the floor. He threw me in the closet in the bedroom and locked me in there for the night."

"You mentioned that you made Dan breakfast every morning, what about you? When did you eat?"

"Whenever Dan fed me. He locked up all the cabinets and the refrigerator. I was fat, or so he told me. And I believed him. I was down to eighty-five pounds, and I still thought that I was fat."

"So this abuse was verbal too?"

"Yes, everything was my fault. Once I wanted to go out with my friends, but he said no and made it seem like it was my fault for leaving him behind."

"Finally, Ms. Johnson, did the defendant force you to have sex?" Maureen was now crying openly. It took her a few seconds to calm down.

"I said no, but it didn't matter. He would pin me down if he needed. He was rough, and it didn't matter how much it hurt me. Afterwards, he'd make me hand wash the sheets in the bathtub. I would sit there for hours scrubbing _my_ blood off the sheets." Casey nodded and sat back down.

Dan's attorney stood up. Maureen's heat skipped a beat. Now, she was nervous. The defense attorney was going to try and make her slip up.

"Ms. Johnson is it true that you're homosexual?" he asked rather bluntly. Casey stood up.

"Objection!"

"Sustained," the judge said.

"Ms. Johnson, was Dan aware that you were still friends with your ex's?"  
"Yes, I told him that. I wanted him to come to meet them and my other friends, but he always made an excuse not to go."

"So he was trying to stop you from seeing people he had never met before in his life?"

"Yes, but-"

"And he shot one of these strangers for no reason?"  
"Dan was looking for me! Mark just happened to hear me scream and came out to see what was wrong. _I_ was the target of Dan's anger!" Maureen cried. She couldn't help but let the attorney's remark get to her. None of this was Mark's fault.

"No further questions Your Honor."

"Thank you, Ms. Johnson, you may go." Maureen grabbed her cane and made her way over to Joanne. She glanced at Dan. His piercing blue eyes sent shivers down her spine.

Maureen was exhausted by the time she got to her chair. Right away, Joanne wrapped her arms around the diva and pulled her close. There were tear stains on both women's faces.

"Good job, I'm so proud of you," Joanne said quietly. Maureen squeezed her eyes shut and clung to Joanne as if her life depended on it. She was glad that part of her nightmare was over. Now, all she could do was wait for the jury to do their part.

The jury filed back into the room. Maureen desperately tired to read their faces, but she couldn't. She felt Olivia put a gentle hand on her shoulder. The diva was already squeezing Joanne's hand. The three women sat in the back row, waiting. The bailiff handed the judge a piece of paper.

"Members of the jury have you reached a verdict?" asked the judge.

"We have, Your Honor. We the jury in the above entitled charges, find the Defendant, Dan Keyes…"

**A/N:** Ha!!! A cliffie!! The next chapter is the last.

Tina101


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Guilty on all charges. Maureen could hardly contain her excitement. For the first time in ages, she felt really, truly, happy. Joanne leaned over and kissed Maureen's cheek. A young man with red hair and green eyes walked over to where the couple was sitting with Olivia.

"Maureen, this is Zack Chikes. He's the friend of Dan's I told you about," Olivia said. She too had told Maureen about the police officer's willingness to help. Maureen shook Zack's hand.

"Thank you for your help," she said from her wheelchair.

"Anything I could do to help. I couldn't believe a cop was capable of something like this. But then again, there was always something about Dan."

"I wish I knew how I could thank you for all you've done."

"Just get better, and keep in touch." Zack handed Maureen his business card. "You're a remarkable young woman, and you're lucky to have such amazing people around you." Maureen smiled.

"Thank you." Zack nodded politely towards Olivia and Joanne and left.

Maureen reached over and entwined her fingers with Joanne's. It had been a long day, and she wanted to go home. Joanne kissed the back of Maureen's hand.

"You read to go, Maureen?" she asked. Maureen nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. The couple said goodbye to Olivia and left to go home.

As soon as Joanne and Maureen got home, Joanne produced a bottle of wine to celebrate the victory. Maureen sat on the couch and tucked her legs under her. Joanne sat down next to her and handed her a glass of wine.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Relieved, it's over. I can't believe we won. I feel…free." Joanne kissed Maureen's cheek.

"You should feel proud too. Zack's right, you _are_ a remarkable woman." Maureen put her glass of wine on the coffee table and began to kiss Joanne passionately. Joanne put her glass next to Maureen's and fell back on the couch. She slid her hand under the diva's shirt. Maureen gasped. It was unclear as the whether Maureen was shocked by Joanne's gentle touch or if she didn't want to go any farther, so Joanne stopped.

"Don't stop, please."

"You sure?" Maureen nodded. Joanne began to kiss Maureen again.

The sex was slow and passionate, nothing like before. When they were done, Maureen was laying on top of Joanne with her head on the lawyer's chest. Joanne was absentmindedly stroking her long hair. Suddenly, Maureen stood up and wrapped a blanket around her.

"Where are you going?" Joanne asked as she sat up. Maureen grabbed her cane.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she replied. Carefully not to trip on the blanket around her shoulders, Maureen made her way to the bathroom.

As Maureen washed her hands, she glanced up at the mirror. The color had returned to her cheeks, and there was a sparkle in her eyes. Maureen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued to look at her reflection. There seemed to be a different aura around her. She was a fighter, a survivor, and a diva no longer.

**The End**


End file.
